Bell: New conduct policy only fortifies Goodell's position

IRVING, Texas — Roger Goodell is no longer the judge, jury and executioner.

But he's still the executioner.

Much to the chagrin of the NFL players union, team owners adopted a new personal conduct policy on Wednesday that did not completely strip the Commissioner of his authority to impose discipline.

Rather than conceding to the union's desire for neutral arbitration to settle all disciplinary issues, the owners instead issued a referendum declaring immense support for their front man.

Goodell will still have final say.

That development is hardly surprising, given the manner in which the NFL does business.

Yet in crafting a new policy that emphatically reflects the many lessons learned from this year of turmoil in the NFL — including Goodell's gaffes in handling the Ray Rice domestic violence saga — the Commissioner's power actually appears to be emboldened.

Have a beef with the discipline? The appeal still lands on Goodell's desk.

The new policy is structured to place the initial decision on discipline to the person who will fill a newly-created position, Special Counsel for Investigations and Conduct — an NFL Duke of Discipline, if you will. It will also tap a three-person panel of outside experts for recommendations on the appeal.

Now there's a judge and a jury, too.

Goodell's position — and credibility — will be strengthened because the comprehensive policy will draw on more voices and resources. Experts who may not recognize a zone blitz, but are much better equipped to address the impact of serious issues such as domestic violence, will influence decisions.

In the long run, this will provide Goodell with more of the support he needed all along.

"It takes Roger out of the weeds, so to speak," Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy told Paste BN Sports.

Of course, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) — which contends that the policy needs to be collectively bargained because it revises the labor deal struck in 2011 — is not pleased by the developments that flowed from the owner's one-day meeting at a resort hotel in suburban Dallas.

Minutes after the policy was announced, the NFLPA released a statement slamming the NFL for lacking "professional courtesy" in that the union didn't see the policy before it was revealed. It denounced the NFL for its "unilateral decision."

That response was predictable, too, given the contentious relationship between the sides.

"Unfortunately, when we met with them two weeks ago, we attempted to discuss some of these issues and they refused to do that," New York Giants co-owner John Mara told Paste BN Sports. "At some point you've got to run your business, and that's what we've attempted to do with this policy."

Still, for something as far-reaching as this policy, it's unfortunate that the gap between the league and the players union has widened to the point that the battle lines are so entrenched.

Will the NFLPA seek legal action that the NFL maintains it can withstand? We'll see.

"I could understand why the NFLPA is upset about it, because they had no input," Chargers linebacker Dwight Freeney told Paste BN Sports. "The fact that they don't have any sort of representation from our side, that's probably what it is. Is it probably better than what happened before, where Goodell was doing it? Yeah. But is it where it needs to be? Probably not."

No doubt, something needed to be done to address the process and better define the standards in the wake of the off-the-field incidents in recent months — including the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy cases, and that of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, too — that tarnished the league's image and intensified the heat on Goodell.

While the NFLPA will debate the process and loathe Goodell's power, the NFL was forced to better define its moral compass, given the immense challenges that surfaced this year.

The league trumpeted the support elements of the policy and the application to all league employees beyond the players.

No, the policy won't correct the sorry record the NFL has had in dealing with domestic violence cases under Goodell's watch. But it provides perhaps the best measure possible in providing due process with paid leave for players who are formally charged with violent crimes.

It also significantly acknowledges a failing of the previous policy, a complete deference to the criminal justice system. Now the NFL will lean on experts in not only gathering facts with a parallel investigative unit, but also in weighing the impact of cases in a realm extending beyond the football world.

This, too, could help bolster an NFL image in need of repair — although you might not know that from TV ratings that remain strong for the nation's most popular sport.

That's NFL Operation 101. Have problem, proactively address.

In crafting the policy, Goodell said the NFL consulted more than 150 individuals and organizations. He also indicated how much he's learned in recent months about issues that include sexual assault and child abuse.

Goodell admittedly blew it with his handling of Rice's domestic violence case, when his hands-on process included meeting with the victim and the accused at the same time. Then when the public reaction hit, in both waves — following the initially weak suspension and the indefinite suspension overturned on the grounds of double jeopardy — the Commissioner came off as one who was too driven by the backlash.

That only fueled the union's position that he was too arbitrary — with too much power.

But next time, the new policy will reduce the burden on Goodell.

Just not all of it.

Follow columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.